Growing Up Giuliani

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  • Posted By: ny/mia @ 11/26/2007 10:45:05 AM

    Looks like the first storm troopers of the lefty smear campaign have landed. Leave it to Newsweek to invent a new form of journalism, based on psuedo psychic hearsay. This belongs on the psychic friends network, or better yet, the trash heap.

    • Posted By: aconservativedemocrat @ 11/26/2007 10:56:29 AM

      You don't have to be a lefty to despise Rudy. I'm not. Like more than 50% of NYC residents I was eager to see the back of him in '01. Yes, I give him his due about replacing the incompetent David Dinkins and (1) limiting crime (with great assistance from the very able Bill Bratton) and (2) cleaning up the Augean Stables otherwise known as Times Square. By the end of his reign, however, his dealings with Donna Hanover, Patrick Dorismond, Abner Louima, etc. had filled my cup and those of many New Yorkers such that he was widely despised. 9/11 was the best thing that ever happened to his career as it immortalized him in the eyes of non-New Yorkers who didn't know better. Now he wants the White House and is trying to dupe conservatives into thinking he is the only one to protect them from terrorism and agrees with them on family values, guns, etc. He is no different from Hillary in that he is utterly ruthless and believes in expedient speech.

  • Posted By: neoconx @ 11/26/2007 8:37:27 AM

    gotta love when this partisan rag attacks a candidate so blatantly.....thanks to the information revolution, everyone in the US knows where newsweek stands politically. nice try, hacks.

    • Posted By: aconservativedemocrat @ 11/26/2007 10:47:32 AM

      I admit the quality of the article was dubious (e.g., "Sing", when the author should have said "Sing Sing"), but the facts about his connection with Kerik, his maltreatment of his wife Donna Hanover, his legendary meanness and disregard for the constitution (e.g., threatening to cut funding for the Brooklyn Museum as a way to limit free speech) are beyond dispute. Giving this evil tyrant unchecked power would be a disaster for America. For example, he doesn't care about Constitutional liberties (free speech, gun control) because he doesn't give a damn for anything but his own opinions -- which he intends to shove down our throats. Just look at his two children, Andrew and Caroline. How nasty does a man have to be for his children to despise him? We Americans don't really want to find out.

    • Posted By: teaparty07.com @ 11/26/2007 10:20:56 AM

      So it's Newsweek's fault that Giuliani has a shady past? instead of calling them hacks, your point would be better served to show how or why they are wrong.

  • Posted By: jackgregor @ 11/26/2007 8:23:57 AM

    The Clinton attack machine in full flower here, Evan Thomas, Hillary's little lap dog does her bidding in this predictable hit piece. They must be really worried about Rudy's ability to undermine the phony Clinton veneer of experience and honesty which everyone knows is a sham. Rudy is a true leader, Hillary is not and the Clinton's are scared.

    • Posted By: aconservativedemocrat @ 11/26/2007 10:34:25 AM

      A true leader, eh? I despise Hillary but Rudy is an evil choice, too.

      Posted By: aconservativedemocrat @ 11/25/2007 1:50:48 PM
      Comment: I'll never forget how Rudy egged-on police officers rioting at City Hall in '92. He cheered them on as they called Mayor Dinkins a "***" and a "Pullman Car porter", and as a Black New Yorker (who favors law and order) I knew these gun-carrying bigots were a danger to the racial minorities in NYC. Accordingly, when Police Officer Justin Volpe sodomized Abner Louima in a NYC police station I knew Rudy's tacit support of hostility toward Blacks by cops had finally born fruit. Rudy is a cruel (his mistreatment of Donna Hanover shocked even jaded New Yorkers), double-talking (e.g., his flip-flopping on gun control to win conservative votes) opportunist who is exploiting middle-American fears of terrorism to gain the White House. He is tyrannical (as a lawyer, what was he thinking when he shut down those Brooklyn Museum exhibits?! Everyone knew though they had no artistic merit, they were constitutionally protected) and a bully who would nominate a thug like Bernie Kerik to an office of state knowing Kerik's ethical lapses and limited formal education (Kerik picked up a mail-order Bachelor's degree while he was police commissioner), but also knowing Kerik would divert business to his security consulting firms. Americans deserve better. We don't need to be frightened into voting for this Hitleresque con man who in his ruthless desire to control all facets of American life will find powers for the Executive Branch the Founding Fathers never dreamed of. Indeed, the best thing about having him as Mayor was that there were higher political leaders who could stop him if necessary. If he moves into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Americans will have no protection and God help us.

    • Posted By: hbradar @ 11/26/2007 9:24:04 AM

      You got it, Jack. Right on.

  • Posted By: Dai Uy @ 11/26/2007 10:01:41 AM

    One can legitimately attack Guiliani for his loyalty to Kerik but please no attainer of blood which is proscribed by our Constitution(the sins of the father are not the sins of the son).

    Guiliani's widespread and successful mob prosecutions speak for themself.

  • Posted By: kodoe @ 11/26/2007 9:30:17 AM

    Nice article but the article ignores Rudy in Universtiy and law school as well as his first marraige.

    • Posted By: teaparty07.com @ 11/26/2007 9:56:11 AM

      There aren't enough pages in Newsweek to talk about all of Rudy's marriages.

  • Posted By: azvoiceteacher @ 11/26/2007 8:39:35 AM

    Dear Santa, My grown-up Christmas list: #1 A President that is honest and truthful. Don't cry Santa we'll try again in 5 years.

    • Posted By: teaparty07.com @ 11/26/2007 9:54:36 AM

      Ron Paul

      www.ronpaul2008.com

  • Posted By: Tangeuray @ 11/26/2007 9:27:00 AM

    A vote for Rudy is consent for another 4 years of Cheany/Bushco Administration. If you work for Halliburton, Shell or Blackwater RUDY is your guy!

  • Posted By: caroline @ 11/25/2007 5:39:22 PM

    I'm amazed at some misinformation in this article. Although trivial, it makes me wonder about the other facts stated in the article.

    I went to St Anne's Catholic grade school with Rudy Guiliani. The school was in Garden City, NY. However St. Anne's parish (and school) served residents of four towns: Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Elmont, Franklin Square and Garden City. Rudy lived in Elmont, a tough Italian-American enclave. Garden City was decidedly upper-middle class waspish and had few Italian-Americans and no African-Americans living there at that time. Trivial...but just to set the record straight.

    • Posted By: ordinaryjoe @ 11/25/2007 6:10:04 PM

      Caroline, I too am amazed at the shoddy work. The prison his father went to is Sing Sing, not Sing. And, after focusing on high school and college, there is no mention of his lawschool. There is a reference , though, that the screwball judge favored second and third tier law school grads. Rudy will not get my vote.
      Arrogance is his defining characteristic.

      • Posted By: JRSR @ 11/25/2007 8:17:35 PM

        Rudy lived in Garden City South

        • Posted By: caroline @ 11/26/2007 9:12:17 AM

          JRSR: To reiterate my point made below, Garden City South ain't and never was Garden City. For a long time Rudy's bio ignored his life before high school. Now, conveniently enough, this article states his family moved to Garden City so he could get away from possible bad influences. LOL . Back then his family (Catholic, working class Italian-American) would be seen as the bad influence. We're talking more than 50 years ago -and such up-front discrimination certainly wasn't right - but that's the way it was. I'm just wondering why would Rudy's bio hide the growing-up-on-the wrong side of the tracks part of his background?

    • Posted By: JRSR @ 11/25/2007 8:19:42 PM

      Rudy lived in Garden City South not Elmont

      • Posted By: caroline @ 11/26/2007 8:21:04 AM

        JRSR: OK, maybe so. It doesn't change much. Elmont and Garden City South are/were similar economically and demographically. If you lived in either community, you were a working class striver. However, if you lived in Garden City, you were old money/and or Ivy League and had arrived. My point (admittedly minor) is that some of my former St Anne's classmates have noticed that Rudy's official biography begins in high school, implying he was trying to hide his hard scrabble background. Now this article comes out saying his family moved to Garden City when he was a child. Where did the authors get this information? From the Rudy campaign staff or was it a sloppy mistake by the authors based on the fact that the parochial school he attended was located in Garden City? Not that it means anything in Peoria but Newsweek is a high circulation national/international magazine and the next article somewhere else will pick up on this erroneous fact and on and on...

    • Posted By: ordinaryjoe @ 11/25/2007 6:06:58 PM

      Caroline, I too am amazed at the shoddy work. The prison his father went to is Sing Sing, not Sing. And, after focusing on high school and college, there is no mention of his lawschool. There is a reference , though, that the screwball judge favored second and third tier law school grads. Rudy will not get my vote.
      Arrogance is his defining characteristic.

      • Posted By: caroline @ 11/25/2007 7:59:43 PM

        Joe,
        I agree he is arrogant and opportunistic and expedient - and he has a limited and chilling world-view. To go back to the background material, Long Island in the 1950's was heavily segregated -by class and ethnicity and religion. Among Catholics, there were German-Americans, Polish-Americans, Irish-Americans and Italian-Americans. Italian-Americans were the most recent immigrant arrivals and were considered hard to assimilate. Many (not all) Italian families had mob connections. Back then , certain TV stars and priests had mob connections, too. The fact that Rudy's family had low-level mob connections is unremarkable but it helps explain his thinking process and moral code. Again, the word expedient comes to mind. You would have had to have been there. New York is not like the rest of the country and anyone who grew up there knows what I'm talking about.

  • Posted By: scottfrost @ 11/25/2007 11:29:58 PM

    How about a biographical arctile on Ron Paul? Air Force flight surgeon, ob/gyn who delivered over 4,000 babies, Congressman, family man, presidential candidate... Sounds pretty good to me.

    • Posted By: MasonJarre @ 11/26/2007 8:21:25 AM

      And I love his wife's fish sticks.

  • Posted By: cingi @ 11/26/2007 8:17:45 AM

    THIS IS AN URGENT ACTION ALERT:


    S 1959 "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007" must be stopped at all costs.

    Pick up your phone today and contact your US Senator's office to instruct them to vote "NO" on S.1959.

    Full PDF text of the bill:
    http://tinyurl.com/3a3y2z

    If this bill is passed, and becomes law, your words and actions could be considered terrorism. S 1959 EVISCERATES FREE SPEECH, and empowers the govt. to declare ANYTHING they deem an "extremist belief system", instantly make you a terrorist, resulting in stripping of US citizenship, torture, and/or execution, with no habeas corpus rights, no ability to challenge even in the US Supreme Court.

    Contact your Senator and let them know they will be looking for another job if they vote yes on this bill, which is now introduced into the Senate as S.1959 THIS BILL **MUST NOT** BECOME LAW, PERIOD.

    If this becomes law, your words could be considered "promoting an extremist belief system", and all they have to say is that you are using PLANNED OR THREATENED *FORCE* (DOES NOT HAVE TO BE VIOLENCE) --FORCE by exposing CORRUPTION, CRIMINALITY against "THE CIVILIAN POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES, *****OR ANY SEGMENT THEREOF" READ THE BILL MANY TIMES AND VERY CAREFULLY--YOU ARE THE TERRORIST (WHICH MEANS THEY CAN STRIP YOUR CITIZENSHIP, AND HAVE YOU TORTURED AND EXECUTED).

    Senate is back in session today, do not hesitate, call, fax, email your Senator ASAP.

  • Posted By: jmsconnors @ 11/26/2007 8:08:41 AM

    hmm.. my fear is that Giuliani is going to want to take some kind of revenge for what was done in NYC. One can't imagine him leading a war of gross incompetence as Bush has, but any more war at this point is a mistake. what's needed are truly creative solutions to our problems. could Rudy produce such results?

  • Posted By: EndPovertyHunger&MedicalBias @ 11/26/2007 7:58:18 AM

    So much for impartial reporting. Bravo on making the formative years of a megalomaniac seem honorable. If only Opera had worked out for him. Thousands of poverty stricken New Yorkers would still have a roof over their heads and the magic of talented street performers would still light up the now-sterile streets of the greatest creative community in the world. The invisible hands that tug Bush strings wouldn't have had WTC access without the big G to help with the cover-up of the biggest attack of a government against it's own nation. Oh, wait, we're not allowed to believe the obvious truth. Smile and wave, boys, Smile and wave!

  • Posted By: bohdansz @ 11/26/2007 6:23:53 AM

    Rudy Giuliani's nomination poses great dilemma to Christian voters. As a Polish-American, I tend to feel great repulsion to Mafia-like characteristics in human beings. Remember that Christian loyalty is to God alone, and in case to Catholics, to the Pope. Loyalty other than that is repugnant, as we have learned from the SS, whose motto was "honor and loyalty," - loyalty to the Nazis, that is. Is America ready for a Giuliani? I do not know. Is he truly anti-abortion and euthanasia. Is any Italian truly against something? I do not know. Is he capable to became something other than a loyal carabiniere? A president requites a different type of courage, a universal type! But please do not take this as a flat-out condemnation of Mr. Giuliani.

  • Posted By: ceasar13 @ 11/26/2007 6:11:14 AM

    Let's see, "an authoritarian streak, as well as a penchant for secrecy and dependence on loyalists . . .". And these characteristics remind you of George Bush? In fact, it is a perfect description of Mrs. Clinton, save for the fact that she lacks a sense of humor.

  • Posted By: ceasar13 @ 11/26/2007 6:06:53 AM

    Let's see, "an authoritarian streak, as well as a penchant for secrecy and dependence on loyalists". You say these characteristics remind you of George Bush? They are in fact the perfect description of Mrs. Clinton. Except, of course, that she lacks a sense of humor, to boot . . .

  • Posted By: spinspin31 @ 11/25/2007 1:18:15 PM

    I've lived in NYC for 35 years, and remember what this city was like before Rudy. David Dinkins did nothing for this city, and Rudy had to clean up his mess. Mike Bloomberg, who has been a good mayor for us, even admits everything he has accomplished was built on what Rudy did. I hope he wins, cause Hilary Clinton is the worse thing that can happen for this country,

    • Posted By: merrell @ 11/25/2007 9:28:05 PM

      I don't live in NYC. Never want to. What a shame if the rest of the country just becomes a big NYC.

      • Posted By: spinspin31 @ 11/26/2007 5:54:51 AM

        Who said the rest of the world needs to become a big NYC ? I said he cleaned up NYC, and made it better. I guess you don't want the rest of the country to be made better then.

  • Posted By: jdfry17 @ 11/26/2007 5:14:10 AM

    Screw Rudy. As a white Republican I cannot stand an individual who (acts as) is a racist. We are all in it for the long run. If he mocks and criticizes other races, I am sure he would do it to his own, simply because of the fact that they did not agree with his ideas. In my party I have not yet decided who, if any, is a good representative on my behalf. I have the same feelings towards the Democrats, and have not yet decided as well. The two I have decided against are Rudy and Hillary in their respective parties, simply for the reasons stated with Guliani, and I do not feel we need another distraction with a Clinton in the White House again.

  • Posted By: Reality Speaking @ 11/26/2007 1:01:03 AM

    Sphinx - go to Egypt. These FACTS are worth looking into. Guiliani's ways of if you are my friend, then your are my friend, but differ, you are my ENEMY. Look as Mayor of New York, what he did to People with HIV/AIDS and try to take homes and health service from them. Look how he allowed the NYPD to run as police above the law with their "shoot to kill policy" Look at how he condoned the killing of unarmed citizens by the NYPD. Then 9/11, as MAYOR, Guiliani did what a MAYOR should do, no more. It was his rooster mentality that said after the 1993 WTC bombing he would put the command center in building 7. It was Guiliani who put the POOL on the ROOF of diesel oil that was compromized by the 9/11 tradegy. The result was building 7 fell like the TOWERS that day in 2001. And if you can't talk about Placa and Keric with Guiliani and what problems he "OVERLOOKED,in choosing them" how can you be assured he would pick the proper cabinet.NOT! Rudy Guiliani You just did your job as MAYOR OF NEW YORK, and you slacked at that.

    • Posted By: hbradar @ 11/26/2007 2:13:14 AM

      Enter Your CommentWhere are you from Reality.....Best mayor ever,,,,,ever in NYC.... He followed Mayor Dinkins....a nice man....good person.....but turned away from the crime rampant on the streets and the violence ...racial violence that he did not stop. You really dont know what you are talking about Reality .
      An unfit name for your opinions, in my opinion

      • Posted By: jtsgrandmom @ 11/26/2007 4:17:48 AM

        He was the right man for the times in NY. Times Square was a hell hole, you couldn't walk the streets without fear of being molested, accosted, attacked. It was Dodge City. He was the cure for there and then. He's not what the country needs,

  • Posted By: Joe B. @ 11/26/2007 2:41:41 AM

    This article glosses pretty quickly over Giuliani's extremely disturbing friendship with the accused child molester Alan Placa. For a much fuller accounting, check out this clip on youtube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_Db2UPUkGyw . Frankly, I find it mind-boggling that Giuliani can be a front-runner when he protects and coddles people like Placa and Kerik.

  • Posted By: jockkk @ 11/26/2007 2:30:37 AM

    What an unobjective hatchet job, But that is what one expects from Newsweek, whose subscription I cancelled years ago.

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